Reed Krakoff / Spring 2011 RTW

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Reed Krakoff showed his second signature collection on Wednesday afternoon in a temporary show space adjacent to his Midtown HQ. While the line is still new, he faces some incredibly steep expectations. This is the man who transformed Coach into the fashion powerhouse it is today, after all. And yet, like any designer working out the kinks, Krakoff is still discovering what this collection will be, and its look is evolving.

He was wise to move beyond the editorial drama of last season’s outing and get into real clothes. The mood was minimal, with a razor-sharp edge. And it included pieces that would be welcomed into any woman’s closet, including slightly exaggerated camp shirts, fluid trousers, and some sharp cut coats. A boxy cotton jacket with its seams sealed in industrial rubber put across Krakoff’s industrial-meets-luxe concept perfectly. And the bags—well, you know there were plenty, and the best played that precious-yet-utilitarian angle too, combining materials like matte python with stark industrial details like, say, a rubberized strap.

Krakoff said before the show that he was inspired by the attitude of punk—not the safety pins, but the subversiveness. Yet the look reminded more than one in his audience of the stripped-down early nineties aesthetic championed by Helmut Lang, and sometimes too much so. While he’s made a move in the right direction, as the label grows it will be exciting to see Krakoff incorporate more of his exquisite American taste into the mix.